Dazed and Confused

Released:  September 24^th, 1993

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Gramercy Pictures

Starring:  Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins, Adam Goldberg, Matthew McConaughey, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, Ben Affleck

Directed by:  Richard Linklater

Written by:  Richard Linklater

Personal Bias Alert:  Never was a partier, not a big Linklater fan

7.3 of 10

             At once specific and universal, Dazed and Confused will appeal to different people for different reasons.  Perhaps you grew up in Texas during the mid-70’s, perhaps you were (or are) a stoner, or perhaps you just grew up with a restless sense of misanthropy.  Chances are someone from the massive group of characters will line up with your own teenage self, and that’ll give you something to love during the lackadaisical meandering that Dazed and Confused will take you on.

            Following the high school students in a non-descript Texas town after school lets out for the summer, the various nerds, stoners, jocks, and freshman orbit around each other during a single night of debauchery.  Unlike most high school films, there aren’t rigid cliques, and the advent of summer doesn’t bring about a revelatory mood.  Most of the characters are simply aimless and bored.  The most riled up they get is when the seniors initiate the freshman through degrading events that eventually gives way to comradery, but even too much enthusiasm for that is frowned upon.  No, the film is essentially just high school kids wandering around.  They occasionally get into trouble, but nothing to serious, and to be honest not much really happens.  But isn’t that what so many of us look back fondly on?  The years of hanging out with your friends, back when you had enough time to wallow with each other for hours?

            This distinct lack of plot can be off-putting, particularly as the film wanders through some early clichés.  A party is busted before it can start, an angsty teen rebels against nothing, and the seniors torment the freshman with minimal interference from the town’s adults (this farce is even commented upon by the characters).  Writer/director Richard Linklater has made many of these shuffling movies, and its highly likely that you already know if this style will bother you or not.  This isn’t a particularly clean way to tell a story, and it almost leaves you wondering if there’s an actually story there at all.  Instead, Linklater seems to use these films to capture the particular moods one passes through at different stages in their life, something that takes time to unveil itself in a film, leaving you with long stretches at the beginning where you wonder why the hell you’re watching these characters at all.

            But in the end, it’s the characters you come to appreciate the most.  Recognition, either in a real person or in a fictional character, is a surefire way to establish a bond, and Linklater has proven time and again that he can hook people with his relatable characters.  Many formed a bittersweet bond with the child and mother from Boyhood, and the 18-year spanning Before trilogy has spawned a personal investment in Jesse and Celine’s relationship for many fans.  In Dazed and Confused, Linklater gives us such a broad look at the high school population that there’s certainly someone in there for everyone.  Were you an uncomfortable poser?  Try freshman Mitch (Wiley Wiggins).  How about a laid-back guy looking for a decent time like Slater (Rory Cochrane)?  Or maybe the neurotic ramblings of Mike (Adam Goldberg) were more your jam (they were certainly mine).  The breadth of characters on display, and the precisely perfect casting that brought them to life, is what will make you fall into the spell of this little film.  Although, by the end, the memories it will evoke will make it seem anything but small.

            If Linklater’s intent with Dazed and Confused was to represent high school as it really is, then it’s near impossible to argue that he failed.  The twisting drift of the good-but-not-too-good night he portrayed is something we’ve all experienced, but the decidedly undisciplined approach doesn’t translate to an even film.

Other Notes:

Ø  This film is more entrancing than entertaining.

Ø  “I’m just trying to be honest about being a misanthrope.”

Ø  I see famous people.